


The Ways of a Barbarian

by tangledintime



Category: Critical Role
Genre: F/M, Sparring, Training, Tumblr Prompt, grogleth, liSTEN GROGLETH IS EVERYTHING, make out, slight vaxleth, this is tumblr's fault so blame them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 14:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9238148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangledintime/pseuds/tangledintime
Summary: Keyleth never had any false hope that she would be any kind of challenge for Grog, but in this position, with his face so close to hers, she suddenly regrets ever wanting to work out.In which Keyleth wants to learn how to fight in the ways of a barbarian, and Grog just so happens to be one. Based on a tumblr prompt.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off a prompt given to me by someone on my tumblr, trickfoots. Is this ooc? Probably, Keyleth is super duper hard to write for, but Grogleth is my new rare pair obsession so shut up.

Keyleth knows she was never that physically intimidating, yes she was fit and if the time came to it she could hold her own, but her power as a Druid was the thing that most people feared about her. Could she punch you in the face and knock you out? No, but that lightning strike that nearly kills you after you laugh at her was all her.  
   
Still, despite knowing this, she felt like she was a little out of the loop. During their stay in Scanlan’s mansion, she took a trip to the training area one day where she noticed a few of Vox Machina training. Vax, even though he was quite light, was bulking up a little, Pike was weight training, lifting weights that could only be assumed as the weight of Thordak himself, and even Percy was in the room. Keyleth made a face in the direction of the training room, huffing in frustration as she glanced at her arms. Yes, they had muscle definition, but not as much as she’d like. In no way was she body conscious, it was just she felt like she needed to be able to face someone and not have them underestimate her. 

( _Was that really the reason?_ her brain asked her. _Yes,_ she would try and convince herself.)

With a nod of encouragement to herself, she walked into the training room. Pike gave her a warm smile before returning to her weights, Percy just nodded and Vax tilted his head a little in confusion. “Hey,”

She gives him a smile, picking up a weight, but dropping it immediately upon realising how heavy it was. “What’s up?” she tried to act nonchalant, like she hadn’t just dropped a weight that Scanlan could probably lift. 

“Nothing, just finishing up here. What are you up too?”

“Just deciding to bulk up a bit.” she told him honestly, because that was why she was here. “You know, get a little stronger.”

“You’re already strong, Kiki, you don’t need muscles to show that.”

“No, I know it’s just…” she shook her head, unable to tell him what was bothering, which was odd. This was Vax, the person she was supposed to be in love with, and et she couldn’t say it. “I want to be able to hold my own a little, there maybe times when my abilities can’t be used.” 

Vax shrugged, raising an eyebrow. “Fair enough.” he sheathed Whisper, his voice going all soft. “Find me later?” 

Keyleth nodded, although she really wasn’t in the mood. 

She spent the next ten minutes trying to find something to help her getting stronger without the danger of dropping it and breaking something vital in her foot. Eventually she settled on using her staff as a bo staff, hitting it off a dummy to quicken her agility. The Druid didn’t even realise the rest of Vox Machina trickle out of the room until it was just her left. The wood against the dummy was the only sound in the room, quickening in pace as the sweat began to bead on her forehead. After what felt like an appropriate time, she threw the staff down, panting. Keyleth placed a hand on her face as her chest heaved in and out, her arms already beginning to ache. When she let her hand down at her size, she caught the sight of Grog, who was staring, his brow furrowing a little. “Hi, Grog.” she said, a little winded.

“You alright?” she had to chuckle, he was always one for forwardness. 

“Never better.” 

And yet, even though he was forward, he was still just as ignorant as if he never asked. “Okay.” he picked up weights the size of mountains and began to lift. Keyleth tried to ignore the surging of his back muscles, but you can’t sue her for catching the occasional glance. After about six or seven times, an idea to came to her head. “Grog,” she began, in a drawling tone that made him look up suspiciously, “can I ask you something?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re what they call a barbarian, correct?” he nodded. “And barbarians have their own ways of fighting, don’t they?”

He set down his weights and stood up, a full two feet above her. “Keyleth, what are you on about?”

“I want you to teach me to be like a barbarian!” her eyes went as wide as saucers as she realised what she had just said. It felt so foreign to say. All her life she had been taught to fight one way, the way of the Ashari. The way of a barbarian, where it was all naked skin and frenzied rage, was just so odd to hear coming from her mouth. Even Grog was surprised at her sudden proclamation. Adding with a nervous smile, she said. “Please?”

Grog blinked, once, twice, three times. Keyleth nearly waved a hand over his face to make sure he was still there. Then, he proceeded to burst into laughter. Keyleth shifted a little awkwardly as he finished, wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, oh Keyleth that was quite a joke. I haven’t laughed like that…” upon seeing her face, her smile dropped into a confused stare once again. “You’re-you’re serious?” she nodded. “Why?”

“I just do.”

“No, the Keyleth I know doesn’t do something like this without a reason.” there was a weird pang in her chest at that, but she shook at off as nerves. When something she couldn’t decipher flashed behind his eyes, she felt that same pang. “Did someone say something to you?” 

And then suddenly, what she couldn’t tell Vax, came spewing out of her mouth. “When Raishan called me a child, it just sort of hit me. A lot of our enemies see me as naive, or innocent. If my bite was as big as my bark, then maybe they would’t treat me like that anymore.” 

Even though she was sure he barely understood some of what she said, he caught the gist, asking. “And you think learning the ways of a barbarian will help that?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Oh no, you could smash their skulls in, it’s just an odd request.”

“Why?”

“You once asked me how I keep my rage in. Now, you want to let it out.” there was a low rumble of laughter as a crazed grin hit his features. “I must be infecting you more than Pike thinks.”

(She made a mental note to ask Pike just what the hell he meant by that.)

“Well,” he began, going to the other side of the training room, going into a fighting stance. “bring it on, Kiki.”

With her hands on her hips, Keyleth asked. “Is that it? Don’t you have to meditate and learn the ways.”

Grog snorted. “Fuck no, you just run in head first and see what happens.”

Thinking back on it, Keyleth realised he wasn’t wrong. So, she did was he did as he spoke again. “Channel all of your rage into this attack and just go for it.”

She took a breath, thinking back to her conversation with Raishan, watching her people get slaughtered, her mother. Everything came to the forefront of her mind and something snapped. Letting out a primal roar, she charged for Grog, crashing into his rock hard chest. If he hadn’t caught her arms, she was sure her nose would’ve been smashed to pieces. “Good,” he said, “but not good enough.”

Keyleth opened her mouth to question this, but instead, yelped as his leg came around and tripped her up, sending her prone to the floor. A piece of hair came out onto her face and she blew it in annoyance. “No fair.”

“If this were a real battle, I would’ve stepped on your head like a watermelon.” he held out his oversized hand to her. “Come on, let’s go again.”

Now, whether he was letting her, or she found strength she didn’t know she possessed(or it might’ve been the gust cantrip she casted, but sure let’s stock it up to strength), Keyleth smirked up at him before using the momentum to pull him down to her. She expected him to fall flat on his face, but she misjudged, the Goliath instead falling toward her. _Bad idea,_ her brain screamed, _bad idea, bad idea, bad idea!_

He fell, but not on her, instead he fell forwards, landing on his back and somehow dragging Keyleth with him, the Half-Elf landing with her face against his chest yet again. Both looked at each other in equal surprise, breathing heavily in both shock and exhaustion. Within seconds they were laughing at their situation, at the fact that she bested Grog, and the fact that he then accidentally bested her. It was then that Keyleth grew silent, examining the physical position they were in. Keyleth never had any false hope that she would be any kind of challenge for Grog, but in this position, with his face so close to hers, she suddenly regrets ever wanting to work out. 

Grog too fell silent, noticing their close proximity. There were a few more minutes of silence save for the sound of their heavy breathing. Keyleth licked her lips nervously. “I-I think we should get up now.”

The Goliath nodded, slowly and cautiously. “Probably.”

“I’m supposed to meet Vax.”

“Yeah.” neither made any move to get up, in fact, he was getting closer.

“I really should-“ her voice was practically a breathy whisper as he inched further forward. “Should go.”

And then they were kissing, messy, uncoordinated, yet very enthusiastically. Her arms looped around his neck, his hand entangled into her hair, the other gripping her hips. When she felt herself grind her hips into him, her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered where they were. She detangled herself from him and stood up. Grog pouted and she hated that she already missed his close proximity. 

“We shouldn’t have done that, nope, shouldn’t have done that!” 

She continued out the door, repeating the same thing. Grog stood, coughing uncomfortably as he too scurried out the door, needing to handle…a few things. 

(Later that night there would be a knock at Grog’s door in the mansion. He would see Keyleth on the other side, pupils dilated with a hunger he couldn’t decipher. Seconds later she practically jumped on him, silencing any protest he would’ve had with her mouth.)

(She would truly learn the ways of a barbarian that night.)


End file.
